Pundits and party members alike are wondering whether President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will be named an honorary chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), as was done with his predecessors, Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and former vice president Lien Chan (連戰).
Ma resigned his party post after the KMT’s rout in the Nov. 29 nine-in-one elections last year.
A KMT member who wished to remain unidentified said that although the position and duties of an honorary chairman are not clearly penned in the party charter, it signifies the party’s recognition of a person who has contributed greatly to the party.
Lien was deemed by the party as having made a significant contribution when he made an ice-breaking trip to China in 2005, and met then-Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), party sources said, adding that Wu had played a key role in helping the KMT reclaim the presidency in 2008.
As Ma was elected KMT chairman three times, some members said it would be strange for him not to be named an honorary chairman.
However, others differ, saying that while Lien and Wu left the chairmanship having made great contributions, Ma stepped down due to the party’s drubbing in the elections as a result of his poor governance as president.
KMT Central Standing Committee member Chiu Fu-sheng (邱復生) said during the committee’s meeting on Dec. 3 — the meeting in which Ma quit as chairman — that Ma should be given the position of honorary chairman for his contribution to the party and the nation. However, no other committee members concurred at the time and discussions were not resolved in the meeting.
Party sources said that if the newly elected KMT chairman, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), is to nominate Ma as honorary chairman, he would have to refer the nomination to the Central Standing Committee for passage and later submit it to the party congress for recognition.
This would also be an indication of how well Chu and Ma get along in the future, the informed party member said.
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